Israel Crowns Plus Size Beauty Queen

Israel staged its annual Fat and Beautiful pageant this week, crowning Vered Fischer (up there, in the middle) the winner. Held in the Southern city of Be’er Sheva, the competition requires contestants to weigh between 176-220 pounds. Apparently plus size beauty pageants are growing in popularity, cropping up in Brazil and the US in the wake of Italy’s decades-old Miss Cicciona pageant.

It’s hard for us to write about this as a positive trend–they’re beauty pageants, after all. Moreover, the idea of staging a separate pageant from the “regular” ones seems less than ideal, too. What do you think?

The fact that it’s called “Fat and Beautiful”, like it’s some crazy coincidence that these women are plus-size and somehow manage to be beautiful, totally puts me off. I think it’s great that curvier women are being featured in a beauty pageant, but it shouldn’t be separate from any other pageant simply because of their size. What should be a celebratory event seems more condescending than anything.

Beverly

I completely agree!!

Alexis H

One step forward, two steps back. It’s the same with the plus size craze that’s been sweeping editorials for the last few years where they take a gorgeous size 12 girl and publish a few airbrushed lingerie shots and pat themselves on the back for “celebrating diversity.” Then the next issue is back to the size 0 girls.

I really am happy that there is at least SOME venue for thicker girls to be celebrated, but this separate but equal treatment is a little bit patronizing and gimmicky. We have a long way to go.

Lo

Beauty pageantry should not involve weight classes unless the contestants are going to box.